Comparisons – gain insight into the nature of language and culture by comparing another language and culture to their own;

Communities – use language within and beyond the school setting.

At the level of instruction that we offer, with the amount of time allotted and the children’s neurological development, our program is intended to provide an exposure, an introduction, to the language and culture.

(Gladys Lipton is a leading expert in K-12 foreign language instruction.)

Foreign language study helps students to understand and use their own language.

Having been exposed to some foreign language, a student’s neural pathways will be primed to more easily learn any foreign language later in life.

Philosophically:

The goal is to expose students to language and culture that is different from their own, to teach some basic communication skills in the target language, and build connections and understanding worldwide.

Students who have studied foreign language are more appreciative of diversity, more open to new ideas, and more positively curious about other people, other cultures, and other subjects than students who do not study foreign language.

The ultimate goal of teaching foreign language is world peace: if we understand each other, we’ll be less likely to go to war with each other.